Vandersteen 2CE Signature III — video review on YouTube by Steve Guttenberg (1/15/2023)

I remember that some criticized Vandersteen speakers for being "rolled off" in the highs.  To me, I owned three pair of the 2s over the years, they were natural sounding.

But about that time in the '70s there was increased demand for MC cartridges, many of which had a rising high end in their response.  So I suspect that increased, sometimes false, sense of detail from a brighter high end became a popular norm.  Then any speaker which did not match that characteristic was criticized by many folks.

2psyop, I can't say that "Richard never intended this model to compete with other well established and more expensive brands".  But some of his successful dealers did.  Back in the 1980s both Optimal Enchantment in LA and Havens and Hardesty in Orange County frequently demoed the current Model 2 with top of the line Audio Research electronics.  Some people questioned if that made sense, until they heard those systems.

Of course that was long ago now.  But Optimal Enchantment remains open, still selling both brands.